Director Pandiraaj: My films are documentations of Tamil culture and history

New Indian Express

a day ago

Talking about being lost in translation, Pandiraaj is clear that his films have their own target audience, and he urges people to know what exactly they are getting into before walking into watch any of his films, including the upcoming Thalaivan Thalaivii. 'Why walk into a family drama and criticise it for being sentimental or melodramatic? And when you write my films off as 'village' films or 'B and C centre' films, aren't you alienating the majority of Tamil cinema audience?' asks a stern Pandiraaj, who expresses his reservations about the way urban directors are intellectualised, and the rural directors are brushed off. 'A Tamil film can be deemed a major success only if it works outside Chennai. And if there aren't films made for them, what will they watch? Why do you want to push a pizza down the throat of a family that wants to have a bowl of comforting rice?' asks Pandiraaj, who signs off by saying that there is an audience for pizza too, and they must co-exist. 'If you don't like pizza, why go out of your way to criticise it? Each of us has their own tastes, and we seek the films we want to watch, right? No one's voice must be silenced.'